


Single Mothers

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 01:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7598923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex tells Louisa about her mother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Single Mothers

Louisa found Alex on a hill in the Forgotten Fields. She looked thoughtful.

“Hey,” said Louisa, riding up to her on Frostguardian.

“Hello down there,” said Alex, smirking at her. Louisa laughed and dismounted, letting her Icelandic wander free.

“So what are you up to?” asked Louisa. “Apart from waiting.”

“Just thinking,” said Alex with a shrug. “Seeing mama the other day kind of reminded me of what I got away from. Not that I came here to escape or anything, just…” She sighed.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” asked Louisa. She put her hands in the pockets of Lisa’s vest for something to do. Her hand closed around another chocolate wrapper, and she had to smile.

“If you want,” said Alex. She dismounted and sat on the hill instead, wrapping her arms around her knees. Louisa sat beside her and mirrored her pose. The chocolate wrapper fluttered away in the breeze, but then Tin Can caught it with his hoof.

“Nice place for a heartfelt conversation,” said Louisa. “And I mean really nice.”

“Out in the fields, nobody can see you cry. Except for sheep, and they won’t talk,” said Alex.

“Noted,” said Louisa. “I’ll just let you talk I think. Or would you prefer questions?”

“First of all, your parents aren’t together either, right?” asked Alex.

“That’s right,” said Louisa, nodding. “Mum raised my sisters and I on her own.”

“Well, good, then you’ll be able to relate,” said Alex. “Dad went bad not long after James was born.”

“So did my dad,” said Louisa. “Well, it’s more like mum kicked him out. But it was not long after my youngest sister was born.”

“Anyway, I used to tell my friends or anyone who asked that dad had gone on some heroic quest,” said Alex. “I made it seem like he was some huge hero and I don’t know why. Maybe I wished that that was what happened but it wasn’t.” She started to tear up grass and shred it with her fingers.

“What did happen?” asked Louisa. “You can tell me.”

“I don’t know,” said Alex. “Mama wouldn’t tell me. He was gone all day but I just used to hear them fighting all the time while I was in bed and he’d go out and slam the door behind him but he’d always come back. And then one night… he didn’t.”

“That must suck,” said Louisa. “I can only remember a few times when mum and dad were fighting.”

“You’re lucky,” said Alex. “And you’re lucky that you were young when it happened. I was old enough to know that I liked girls.”

“He didn’t use that against your mother, did he?” asked Louisa.

“I don’t know,” said Alex. She stared intensely at the grass that she was shredding. “But I assumed that he did.”

“It’s not your fault that he left,” said Louisa, suddenly hugging her. Alex let out a choked sob and buried her head in her knees.

“But we don’t know that!” said Alex. “And if he left b-because of me…”

“Then he was an asshole,” said Louisa. “Only asshole parents leave their family or kick out their kid because they’re not normal. Unless they’re in a place where that’s illegal.” She shook her head. “No, then they’re still assholes, I don’t care.” Alex’s laugh made her feel a tiny bit better.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever see him,” said Alex. “I might need someone to hold me back.”

“You’ll probably kill him otherwise,” said Louisa.

“Yeah,” said Alex with a little laugh. “Or there will at least be a lot of wounding involved. Or I could just cry. I dunno.”

“Your mum is better off without him,” said Louisa. “And honestly, it seems like she’s better off without James, too.”

“It’s the only time I’ve ever come close to beating him up,” said Alex. “I’m always defending him but whenever he talks to mama he hurts her. And he has all this money but he won’t give her any of it and it just makes me so angry!” The grass that she was tearing up began to smoke, so Alex dropped it and took deep breaths.

“Yeah, he said that,” said Louisa. “Is she really always asking him for money?”

“Not always,” said Alex. “Only sometimes. And only when she really needs it, like to pay bills and things. Because nobody will take her on for work and she can’t kick her addiction but she has tried and I don’t want mama to be homeless but if she went to live in a shelter it’d kill her.” She ran her fingers through her hair, tugging out strands of it, until Louisa grabbed her hands.

“Hey, she’ll be okay, she has you,” said Louisa. “You’re always sending money home and working to get more. You’re a good daughter.”

“Then why aren’t I there with her?” asked Alex. “She needs me but I abandoned her too.”

“Because, unlike your father, you are on a heroic quest,” said Louisa. “You’re going to save Anne and you’re going to save the world again. And then, you can go home and help out your mother.”

“That’s the plan,” said Alex. She still had tears in her eyes, but now she wiped them away. “Thanks for listening. You’re always listening when I need to unload. Why do you care so much?”

“Just a good friend, I guess,” said Louisa.

“A great friend,” said Alex. “You can always talk to me if you need to, you know.”

“I know,” said Louisa. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Ugh, now I feel gross from crying,” said Alex. “I’m gonna go wash my face in the river. You coming?”

“I’ll come for a ride,” said Louisa. “Frost, where’d you go?” She looked around, and soon saw her Icelandic bolting back across the fields from the winery. He didn’t even startle as the bulldozer blared its horn at him.

“Take your rubbish or Sonja will bring physical harm to you,” said Tin Can. Louisa laughed as she stuffed the chocolate wrapper back into her pocket.

“I swear there’s more garbage in here every time Lisa gives it to me,” said Louisa. “Doesn’t she ever put it in the bin?”

“There’s writing on it,” said Tin Can. “I was trying to read it.”

“It’s probably just the name on the wrapper,” said Louisa. But she took the paper out anyway, and looked at the back of it.

“Is she leaving you love letters on chocolate wrappers?” asked Alex, seeing Louisa’s grin.

“Yes,” said Louisa, chuckling as she tucked the paper back into her pocket.

“Well that’s disgustingly romantic,” said Alex. “What’s she going to do next, write you messages in the stars?”

“Probably,” said Louisa. “Hey, where’s she patrolling, anyway? I might leave messages for her to find there.”

“The mountains around Firgrove,” said Alex. “At the moment, anyway.”

“Then that’s where I’ll go,” Louisa decided. “After I go with you to the river.”

The two of them rode off towards the river together, and Alex looked more relaxed. Louisa was glad to see that- she’d been so stressed lately. Sometimes she just needed to let it all out. And, as a good friend, Louisa would always be there for that.


End file.
